This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
On September 3, 2019, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko spent nine hours at the Integrity Centre, being questioned by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over alleged irregularities in the awarding of garbage collection tenders worth over Sh.160 million.
According to reports, Sonko presented himself at the Integrity Centre at around 7 am and only stepped out at about 4:20 pm. The probe, which lasted for nine hours, involved 13 companies that were awarded tenders for garbage collection.
Addressing the media as he left the offices of the anti-graft authority, Sonko explained that the lengthy questioning was due to the complexity of the case, which involved multiple companies and procurement processes.
‘We took long because we recorded 13 statements…there were 13 companies involved, they were questioning the procurement process,’ Sonko said.
He also pointed out that he was not directly involved in the procurement process, as he is not the accounting officer, but rather the CEO of the county with general responsibility for his state officers.
‘We pay around Sh200 million to a company for waste disposal. However, the environmental departmental committee should take responsibility following the issues raised by EACC since I do not know the small things happening in those offices,’ Sonko said.
